Level 1 — Foundation · Spoken Clauses & Connected Speech
Drill 16: Speaking a Claim and Its Source Live
Say, out loud and under a timer, who is claiming something and how confidently — attributing a claim to its source live, with no time to plan the sentence first.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this drill, you should be able to:
- Say a 'source + reporting verb + that-clause' sentence correctly and immediately
- Choose a reporting verb live that matches the intended strength of the claim
- Speak the full attribution in one fluent sentence, without a planning pause
Introduction
Lesson 16 taught you to separate a claim from its source and its reporting verb. This drill asks you to build that same sentence live — naming a source, choosing a reporting verb, and stating the claim, all in one breath, the instant the timer starts.
Shadow the Model
Recent studies suggest that regular sleep improves memory.
Listen once all the way through, then shadow it. Notice "suggest" carries real stress here, not a throwaway word — it's the piece of the sentence that tells the listener exactly how confident the claim is.
Your Turn
Your Turn
Scenario: a colleague tells you the new software "argues that manual data entry causes most errors." When the timer starts, say one sentence attributing this claim, using "argue" as your reporting verb — speak immediately, no planning pause.
Speak your attributed claim now
Record Yourself
Say your attributed claim, then record it and compare against the model.
Model Answer
Show a model answer
Something close to: "The report argues that manual data entry causes most errors." There's room for wording, but the sentence must follow source + reporting verb + that + claim, spoken as one fluent unit.
Vocabulary in Context
entrynounneutral
an item of information entered into a record or system (এন্ট্রি/তথ্য লিপিবদ্ধকরণ)
Often with make an entry, log entry, data entry
“The clerk corrected the entry in the cargo register.”
colleaguenounneutral
a person you work with (সহকর্মী)
Often with a colleague from, work with colleagues, senior colleague
“My colleague says the entry in the system was wrong.”
Self-Check
Self-Check
- Did you speak the source, reporting verb, and claim in the correct order?
- Did you speak immediately, with no pause to plan the sentence?
- Did your reporting verb match the strength the scenario actually described?
Next: Speaking 17 — Speaking Your Certainty Level Live: choosing, out loud and instantly, exactly how confident a spoken claim should sound.